BlackJack54

Well, in my opinion, the East program has been underestimated for along time. Those guys work hard and are due in my book! My coaching friends tell me it's all in the pitching and like you said, South is very weak there from what I can gather. The coach started a 10 grade pitcher against us in a conference game! What is HE thinking? Does the man not have Senior pitching???? Or maybe he's like a lot of other power-possessed coaches: doesn't take care of his Senior players but promotes the underclassmen up ahead and the quality guys quit. That'll ruin a program quicker than anything!!! I just hate when a coach plays the kids over and over who makes mistakes like were made on Saturday. Mike stresses quality playing and Gilreath, Campbell, and company are the ultimate. We'll see how things fall at the district.

I just got back into town but have been reading sports on the computer in Florida. I'm not usually a big DB fan but that team looks to be improving to me. Laughry has a hot stick and Harvey is gaining more focus as the season goes on. TN High always looks good and I think that there are some aces up the old sleeve out there too. The Hill will definitley be in the running as will Boone. Dishner is a good little pitcher and the Connells bring a lot to the park. My money says don't write off the Tribe too soon. East may be a sleeper too.

A big congrats to my Pats today! Just got home last weekend from wintering in Florida and have dropped in to see what the Patriots are doing in baseball. Most of you know I'm a basketball man but some of my favorite Patriots are playing baseball too. Saw the game on Monday and was really disappointed in the coach at south keeping his starters in and running the score up 15-4. Lack of class there but the Pats came back today and showed the style they have! This old guy was proud of the red, white and blue today. I know for a fact there's a happy fan in that Gaby family! 2 long balls and a bunch of rbis. That was a special gift and we all know who that was for. Hunter handcuffed the rebels and Dez finished them off. All south needed in their outfield was a circus tent and couple of elephants. What a circus!!! If their outfielders caught the ball at all they were sure jugglin them!! We heard on the radio that the south coach said it would be a 5 inning game and man was he dead on! Maybe he could start sportscastin instead of coachin! Coach B should be really proud today as he definitley outcoached his opponent. Hope someone on their coachin staff teaches their #5 that yelling bullpoopy (cleaned up for the family atmosphere here) at a ump's call shows lack of sportsmanship. Wonder where he learned that? Proud of you boys for that win of 15-3 in only 5 innings as predicted by the south coach! I love it when a plan comes together.

In my opinion both JCounty and Unicoi have outstanding facilities for a Friday night game. The burgers being grilled out, outstanding student sections, nice bands......go enjoy the hospitality at these 2 places and let the kids play some ball. It's about team, friends, and a little competition. Don't spoil it for the boys by griping. You folks got great places to play a little pigskin!

The Coaching staff at North is young but very talented and very knowledgeable. They will regroup and Pearcy will fire up the team. You should never count out the boys from Bloomingdale! They are working on their feeder system now and seem to have it together. The kids there have a lot of heart and will bounce back with a vengence. Besty will keep it close but I hope for a North win. North 21 Betsy 14

If Whitson's receivers get open look for a long night for Central. He has range, distance, and accuracy. Good scrambler in the pocket as well. Coach Cooper is a man hungry for a victory. I look for Unicoi to taste a victory here. Unicoi 21 Central 7

Last I heard no individual could tell another one he could not post an opinion. You remember me but you seem to forget my opinions of the REAL athletes at Central. There is none better than Albright or DeVault. As for football, Walling is very talented and Snapp is strong on the line; I prefer to call them as I see them. I've probably coached kids older than you are sir and my opinion is shared by a lot of my old colleagues. And my friends on the message boards enjoy my discussions of the up and coming athletes... Politics are ruining your football program at Central. Or maybe you already know that

Oh it's Homecomin thar boys and mama roberts done got blinders on her baby boy carl so he won't look at some FINE wimmen in tha Homecomin Court! But being the IVY LEAGUE prospect that he is, he'll take off them blinders when mama ain't looking. My buddy and lifelong friend, Major Amos T. Hoople said hit best. "Successful teams have camaraderie on and off the field." Coach Carter is one class act, not that Coach Nelson ain't, but Scott done got a posse of them Central parents on his tail already. How many does this make they done got fared? Ya can't make a silk purse outta a sow's ear or in this case ya can't make chicken salad if you only got chicken...............well never mind. boola boola

I love it when a plan comes together. TN High 55 Central 45

Amen WaCo, I vote for Isaac Snapp but we'll keep him at East thank you kindly. I also enjoy watching Odem from Science Hill play. He's smooth as silk, never gets unnerved, and is a ball handler.

TN High by 10 Go Vikes!

I stated my opinion gentlemen and I stand by it. As someone on here said, I'm entitled to it. As someone else, stated, who cares? High school bball is the most interesting topic here. I did not graduate from Sullivan North in the 80s. Wish I had! That would shave a few years off the old heart! But thanks for asking. Skunk, I did not know Josef was your son. He is an excellent athelte. I had heard about his knee surgery and problems that came with it. I sure hope he gets along fine with it. You'll be in my prayers. I always enjoyed watching him play both football and bball at DB. Fine family there, sir. What is the estimation of his recovery time? How's the rehab going? Tell him an old fan said to hang in there.

Maybe if we put them back in football gear and let them play basketball it would add a new dimension to the sport! I enjoy a good physical game but a dentist friend of mine says they all should have mouthpieces if you can get the knuckleheads to wear them!

I have to agree fanofall that the DB-East game will be an exciting one. I expect that Sylvester will step up and have an outstanding game. Halvorsen is always in the action as is Flackk. East I think will hold their own for a while but depending on East's offense and if they are "on" that will be the tale. I think this will be the matchup to watch for sure. I don't think it will be a blow out though.

Let me add my sincere best wishes as well, Galilee. I too have missed your wisdom on the T even tho I read you silently for a while. From what I'm hearing, your students missed you even more! They need you man. You sure have a story to share now. God go with you and come on back on the T often!

WaCoJaCo, just wondering if you're a Volunteer fan? I think from your posts you might be. I have a question for you. Is Mr. Dykes still the Principal down there? Jim I think it is. Now there was an athlete back in the day! Best of my recollection, he was named Principal down there a few years ago. Nice fellow. Your fans are outstanding too. They really support that Falcon team. The Cradic kid is quite an athlete. What are his plans for college? I think that boy could go on either a football OR basketball ride.

I see you have all your statistics right in a row there down to the "Area 1 Championship" which I knew would come up sooner or later. To set the record straight for your stats, I've never had a son play for the "coach" nor did I play against him in high school. I was already in the coaching ranks by that time my friend. I'm only stating my opinions here but I think Fox is the better of the two. Just a class act in my book. Good fundamentals, stresses teamwork, stresses academics, and as I expressed to Cap1, touches every facet of the athlete in the Dickie Warren, Buck Van Huss style. Your high school coaches will tell you that your little area 1 deal doesn't mean squat in high school. High School ball is a different animal. Competiting at that level does require some talent which I personally think Mr. Fox has. I agree that Coach Vaughn is an excellent coach and will glean every bit of talent from the boys that he can find. I just can't see Harrison filling the coaching duties like a Coach Witcher, or Dale Burns, or George Pitts that WCJC mentioned a few posts back. I had forgotten he was back in the area. Burns and Pitts..............now there are two legends. My comments are based on what his colleagues tell me and what I've seen his former players do. On the team/bench and on the floor are two entirely different things futurecougardad. It's my opinion that the boys from Blountville can outplay the Holston boys at the high school level. That Brown kid is a prime example. He's a real athlete. I did state that Albright and DeVault will get a lot of playing time. Just my opinion but observations are priceless and in this business actions speak a lot louder than words.

How is Sullivan North looking this year? Does Coach Cox have anyone to help Doran out? Who will be the standouts this year?

My money is on Hampton again. The bulldogs are a strong team, well-coached, and hungry for a trip to state again. They just don't give up. Like a dog on a bone!!! Bulldog that is. Watch the Lunceford kid. He's coming along nicely. Going to be a real asset to the team this year.

I think Hampton will have a very strong team this year. The football boys are strong athletes and will come aboard soon. Knowing Coach White as I do, I know he will have all of his players "earn" their spots. He has no gimmees. He's a tough guy, good discipline, good basketball fundamentals. Class program up there. And that Lunceford kid IS a beast! Good ball control.

Thanks, Big9. I looked at my schedule wrong. You saved me a trip. Still a Roundhouse and still a Roundhouse kicking I think. Just in a different location. We will see. This game should prove for some interesting chat.

Might just do that Big9. But don't get no butter on the popcorn cause ole BlackJack got the dunlop disease and can't handle butter! Oh the boys won't need no patches in the Patriot Palace tonight. Might as well be called the RoundHouse because that's what I think they're going to give to the opponent. A good Roundhouse kicking. Reminds me of the Chuck Norris lines going around. The Patriots don't sleep; they just wait. The Patriots don't do push ups. They push the world down. Now don't get me wrong, I like the Pats but I like other teams too. Roby is a good coach and an old friend of mine. He's a class act so I got to support all the young men. But I like it when an underdog comes into his own. Know what I mean? By night's end so will some others. heh heh heh I like it when a plan comes together.

WCJC, had to laugh at you arguing with yourself. I had a visual on that one. Good comment there. Guess we all need to make up a list of names if we feel "uncomfortable" stating our opinions with the original screen name. At my age, you say whatever the heck you want to and let the chips fall! Cap, my man, guess my inside info gives me away. The answer to your guess is a yes and I'll leave it at that. I'm an old timer. I come from back in the day when if you shot a 3 pointer it was ok but not a necessity. Our kids played good clean ball, the parents respected us coaches, and the kids worked their butts off and didn't whine. Good coverage, clean blocks, and full court presses made it a game. Not the block and tackle stuff going on today. We developed the complete athlete. The kids had a bit of religion and it wasn't just a "oh God help me make this shot!" uttered at the charity stripe! Now The Red Baron can tell you some tales along those lines. He was a player. So was his buddy Crowder and I wish I could remember some of the rest of them. I was in the Boro for that state game and it was outstanding. The fans were respectful but it was different back in the day. My opinion is that the most successful kids and teams today, act like teams. There's none of this "look at me and see what I did" crap. Ain't no I in team. Trite but true. The coaches with discipline like Witcher and Morgan get a little flack every now and then but they are big men and can work through it. You got to develop the whole athlete like Coach Warren used to do. He was after them at every turn. Checked their grades, talked with them, cared. A real coach does that. It is a small world. I cannot believe Baron has kids in the 4th grade and even older! Heaven help me and get my wheelchair ready. Like to know your opinions. I've read your posts for a while and like I told the kid from Central, you have a good knowledge base of bball in the area. Guess age and wisdom brings that. Oh, and we'll see who has lunch money at the end of the game as you said. My money is on Cross, Snapp, and their colleagues at East. Those kids are a team and are a friendly bunch to boot. Fans are nice too. I might even mosey on out to see that one. Good luck to your team, Cap1.

Oh Mr. Brock, I must have hit a sore spot! And this is the only name under which I have ever or will ever post young man. Comparing me to Cap1 is quite a compliment for I read on this board long before I ever posted and Cap1 seems to have a knowledge of basketball and the Big 9 that is very reasonable in my book. So thank you for the comparison. I take that as a compliment. Big9Bball stated it very well. I am entitled to my opinion and I stated it as such. Young Mr. Cross IS going to be a factor and will continue to be one for the next 4 years. It is unfortunate that you do not see that. When one underestimates one's opponent is when one gets his lunchmoney taken. Harrison was NOT one of the better players to come through this area. I would mention Baron Minor from Central or Steve Crowder. Now those boys were real players from your own school. Tommy Dalley was a standout at DB a few years ago. There have been many others whose abilities far surpassed your "best player" nominee. Omar was another outstanding player even though many were jealous of his abilities. He is a very nice kid who's now at Georgetown. Saw him on tv the other night. Your evaluation of Central at the end of your post was more mature and seems like you had settled down and made some good comments. Kaiko is good but I think DeVault and Albright are 2 kids who will be contributing a lot there as well. Your evaluation of my knowledge of basketball and the statements I made are amusing to me. Youth is such a trying time!